Due to the exceptional circumstances in Ukraine, pets are being brought into Finland from Ukraine and Russia that may not have the necessary vaccinations and medications required of imported animals. Dogs, cats and ferrets can carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans, which is why it is important to treat the pets immediately after they arrive in the country.
Everyone who arrives in Finland with a pet must contact a local veterinarian within three days of entering the country, unless an official application or permission to import the pet was made before you arrived.
If your dog, cat or ferret does not have a microchip or rabies vaccination, your attending veterinarian will administer these to your pet. The veterinarian may also take a blood sample from your pet.
Some dogs may also have the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis, which the veterinarian will treat with medication. Some dogs may have already received this medication from Finnish Customs.
Please take care to keep your pet isolated from other animals and humans for 30 days after a rabies vaccination. Contact with others should be kept to a minimum during this time, although pets can be walked on a leash. For 24 hours after the administration of the tapeworm medication, it is important to collect the dog faeces in a bag and dispose of it along with the rest of your household waste.
The treatment of imported pets is very important, because the rabies virus and the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis are not currently found in Finland. The tapeworm parasite in particular poses a serious threat to humans, if it spreads from dogs to other parts of nature.
The City of Helsinki’s veterinarians and the veterinarians of the University of Helsinki’s Veterinarian Teaching Hospital will administer the necessary vaccinations, tests and medications to your pets free of charge. You can also receive the necessary treatment from a private veterinarian, but then you may have to pay a fee.
City’s supervising veterinarians
If you wish to bring your pet to the City of Helsinki’s supervising veterinarians for treatment, you will need to book an appointment in advance. The city’s supervising veterinarians can also visit reception centres upon request, if there are several animals there in need of treatment.
The office of the City of Helsinki’s supervising veterinarians is located in the Helsinki district of Kalasatama, at street address Tukkutorinkuja 3 C. Appointments and consultation are available on weekdays as follows:
- By email from 8.15–16.00 (kymp.elainsuojelu@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program))
- By phone from 9.00–10.00 (tel. 09 310 31531)
Veterinary Teaching Hospital
The University of Helsinki’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital is located in the Helsinki district of Viikki, at street address Koetilantie 2. Please call tel. 029 415 7201 on weekdays from 8.00-15:30 to make an appointment.
The hospital also has a 24/7 on-call service, so it is possible to pay a visit without an appointment and wait for a veterinarian to become available. You should be prepared to wait for a long time, however, as pets are treated according to the urgency of their condition. You can find more information at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital website(Link leads to external service).
Additional information
Updated national guidelines for importing pets from abroad can be found on the website of the Finnish Food Authority(Link leads to external service). Among other things, the website has information in Ukrainian about pet isolation after entry(Link leads to external service).
Photo: Lauri Hänninen / City of Helsinki
This article was published on 25 March 2022 and was edited on 30 March 2022 and 25 July 2023 by adding the Ukrainian language version.